Indicator-lock



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. 0. BABE. INDICATOR LOOK.

No. 426,097. Patented Apr. 22. 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

. u J.O.BARR.

INDICATOR LOOK.

No. 426,097 Patented Apr. 22, 1890.-

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Inventor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. BARR, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

INDICATOR-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 4=26,09*7, dated. April 22, 1890.

Application filed February 15, 1889. Serial No. 300,005. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Beitknown that I, JOHN C. BARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Padlocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and ex act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates, generally, to im provements in padlocks, and more especially to that class of padlocks which are provided with devices for indicating that they have been unauthorizedly opened; and it consists in the improved construction and arrangement or .combination of parts hereinafter fully disclosed in the description, drawings,and claims.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a padlock with improved indicating devices which will be operated by the shackle on tilting back or unfastening the same; second, to provide a padlock with improved indicating devices which will disclose a certain known combination of letters and figures or other characters at one time, and which will be changed to other unknown combinations of said letters, figures, or other characters when said padlock has been opened by unauthorized persons; third, to provide improved indicator-disks which are connected by gearwheels having different numbers of cogs, and to operate them by the shackle of the padlock; fourth, to provide a padlock withasliding bolt and with a sliding follower which does not engage said bolt, but limits and controls the play of the sliding key against said bolt; fifth, to combine a padlock having a sliding bolt and a sliding follower, arranged parallel with each other, with a key having a pivoted cam which is adapted to be tilted upward and simultaneously engage said follower and bolt, and, sixth, to combineia sliding bolt, a sliding follower, and a vertical stop-plate at the rear ends of said bolt and follower with a key having apivoted cam which is adapted to first be tilted by said stop-plate and then simultaneously slide said follower and bolt rearward. These objects I attain by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

in which the same reference-numerals indicate the same parts, and in which- Figure 1 represents a front or face view of my improved padlock, showing the indicat ing-disks in dotted lines; Fig. 2, a similar view with the face-plate and indicating-disks removed, with the key inscrted,with the bolt and follower forced back by said key to the full extent of their rearward movement, and with the shackle unfastened and slightly raised; Fig. 3, a similar view with the indicating-disks in position, with the shackle in fastened or locked position, and with the key in the act of being inserted and having the front end of its cam in slightly-raised position against the front face of the stop-plate; Fig. 4, a broken detail view of the back plate and the rear or pivotal end of the shackle, two of the gear-wheels, the pawl for operating one of them, and one of the stop-pawls being also shown therein; Fig. 5, a transverse section of the lock-casing, the bearings for the gearaxles, the gear-wheels, and the overlapping indicating-disks being shown in top plan view; Figs. 0 and (3, a side and edge view, respectively, of the key; and Fig. 7, a perspective detail view of the bolt and the sliding tumbler or follower.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the lock-easing, which may be of any desired shape and construction, which is provided with a shackle 2, pivoted in its upper rear portion in the usual manner, and which is formed in its face-plate 4 with two slots or openings 3, which are preferably covered with glass or other transparent material.

The shackle 2 is formed with the usual beveled notch 5 in its reduced free end 6, which enters the lock-casing through the usual opening 7. Thisnotch is engaged by the horizontal face of the beveled front end S of the bolt 9, which consists of a reduced or thin central portion 10, an enlarged head 11, having said beveled front end S and. a wide flange or shoulder 12 at its rear end. This bolt is confined to slide upon the back plate l of the lock-casing by means of a vertical 'stop platc 13, which extends downward from the top of the casing and leaves a space between. its rear edge and said back plate, and within said space is fitted and preve'u ted from forward movement the reduced or thin central portion 10 of said bolt, the front face of the wide flange or shoulder 12 of said bolt projecting forwardly and bearing normally against said stop-plate. The reduced or thin central portion 10 of the bolt is recessed on its under side and formed at its rear end with a vertical wall 14, which normally, or when said bolt is pushed forward, is flush with the rear face of said stop-plate 13; also, the upper part of the recessed portion of said bolt is formed into an upwardly and forwardly inclined wall 15. A spring 16 bears against the shoulder 12 at rear end of the bolt and holds its enlarged head 11 in engagement with the notch 5 of the shackle, or in position for engagement therewith.

A sliding tumbler or follower 17 is arranged below the bolt 9, and is also confined in place by the stop-plate 13 and a suitable groove 18 or other support 011 the back plate; also, said follower has a notch 19 in its front side, a shoulder 2 O at its front end, and another shoulder 21 at its rear end, which slides behind said stop-plate 13. Against the last named shoulder bears a spring 22, which serves to force said, follower forward.

The casing is formed in its side with a keyhole 23, which is closed by a spring-controlled cover or door 2 1. As a continuation of said key-hole, the front and back plates are formed with a cylindrical bore 25, through which the key 26 is passed, and which extends to a point coincident with the front wall of the notch 10 in the sliding tumbler or follower when the latter is in its normal position. The key 26 consists of a plate-handle 26, a cylindrical shank 27, and a cam 28, which is pivoted to the front end of said shank and formed with a partly-round end 29, for allowing it to be tilted upward; also, said cam is formed with a shoulder 30, which will hold it in a vertical position or at a right angle to said shank, with a notch 31, and with a beveled or rounded end 32. lVhen the key is inserted into the key-hole and pushed in through the cylindrical bore 25, the rounded end 32 of the cam will strike the stop-plate 13 and tilt the cam upward. The key is then revolved slightly over toward the back plate, when the notch 31 in said cam will pass over the sliding follower 17 and bring the wall 33 of its notch .31 to rest in the notch 19, formed in said follower. The key is then pushed in farther, which will push the bolt and follower back of the rear edge of the stop-plate 13 and against the springs 13 and 22 until the front shoulder 20 of said follower bears against said stopplate, when the bolt will be fully pushed back and permit the shackle to be released. A stop or stud 34 serves to arrest the forward throw of the follower, and the springs 16 and 22 serve, respectively, to force the bolt and follower forward when they have been released from the pressure of the key.

The inclined wall 15 in the upper part of the recessed portion of the bolt 9 serves to two intermediate disks 4.) and 5V].

accu 'ately guide the cam of the key as it is tilted upward; also, it admits of a close fit of the rounded end of the cam in said recessed portion of the bolt. The shackle 2 is pivoted with its partlycylindrical end 35 upon a central pin 36, and said end is formed with a slot or recess 37 in its edge, in which is pivoted a pawl 38, which is forced outward by a spring 39; This pawl engages a gearwheel 410, which is also engaged by one arm of a stop-pawl 41, which is pivoted in the easing, and has a spring 4-2 bearing against its other arm. The gear-wheel 4O meshes with the gear-wheel 43, and through the same imparts motion to the other gear-wheels 41, 15, and 46, which are pivoted upon studs 41-7, secured in collars 47, formed on the back plate of the casing.

On the front faces of the gear-wheels are formed irregularly-shaped necks etS, upon which are removably secured the disks 48, 4:9, 50, 51, and 52, having central openings corresponding in shape to that of said necks, whereby said wheels and disks are secured and revolved together. On the front faces of these disks are formed letters and figures or other characters in circular rows, and in promiscuous and non-serial succession-that is to say, the letters are not arranged in alphabetical order, nor the numbers in numerical order. The gear-wheels are preferably formed of different diameters and provided with different numbers of teeth or eogsas, for intance, with thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, and nine cogsso'that a large number of varied combinations of the letters and figures or other characters may exist or be 'fOl'll'lCd. The number of changes possible in the combina tion is equal to the multiple of the number of teeth upon all the wheels-as, for example, in the instance shown, the number of cogs upon the wheels being, respectively, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, and nine, it will require thirteen multiplied by twelve by eleven by ten by nine, orone hundred an d fifty-four thousand four hundred and forty strokes of the shackle to restore the same combination of letters and figures or other characters which the lock showed in the first instance. A spring-actuated stop-pawl 53 engages the cogs of wheel 45, being employed for the purpose of taking up any lost motion occurring in the series or train of wheels.

The indicatingdisks 18, 19, 50, 51, and 52 are, as stated, rcmovably secured upon the faces of the geanwheels, and also at dilferent elevations, so that the three disks 18, 50, and 52 will alternately overlap the faces of the This arrangement of said disks admits of their being made larger than the gear-wheels and of the letters and numbers being arranged more closely together, so as to be readily seen through the slots or openings 3 in the front plate, than if said disks were of the same size as the gear-wheels and secured edge to edge upon the faces thereof.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that whenever the shackle is opened or released bination of letters and figures exposed through the openings in the front plate will thus be changed. This permutating and indicating mechanism will also serve as a seal for the look, as the combination of letters and figures which is exposed to view when the lock is closed can be taken and recorded at the place where the closing or sealing occurs, when it will be impossible to open the lock without disturbing or destroying the combination or changing it into another combination which cannot be foreseen or calculated, owing to the great multiplicity of changes which is possible to effect with the mechanism. Even should a person possess the requisite a'mount of patience to formulate a table or list of all the changes or combinations that can possibly be made in one look and of the number of times that the shackle must be tilted or turned back to reach a certain known combination, he would, besides consuming a large part of his lifetime, still remain in ignorance of the possible changes or combinations existing in another look embodying the same mode of operation, since the slightest change in the arrangement of the letters or figures on one or more of the disks of the latter lock or the removal of one or more of its disks and the substitution of one or more having diiferently lettered, figured, or characterized faces, or by effecting a change in the arrangement of its disks and gear-wheels, would entirely destroy the combinations known in the first lock and render the table or list prepared therefrom wholly useless for opening the second lock.

Having thus fully described the construe tion and arrangement or combination of the several parts of my improved lock, its opera tion and advantages, what I claim as new is- 1. In a padlock, the combination, with a suitable casing, of a series of permutating gear-operated indicating-disks provided with a series of promiscuously-arranged characters, each disk being provided with a different number of characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs on the gear-wheel to which said disk is attached, and lock mechanism for operating said indicating-disks, whereby when said lock mechanism is operated unknown combinations of characters will be made visiable, substantially as described,

2. In a padlock, the combination, with a suitable casing, of a series of permutating gear-operated indicating-disks provided with a series of promiscuously-arranged charac ters, each disk being provided with a different number of characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs on the gear-wheel to which said disk is atttached, and a pawl for operating said indicating-disks, whereby when said pawl is operated unknown combinations of characters will be made visible, substantially as described.

In a padlock, the combination, with a series of permutating gear-operated indicating-disks, each disk being provided with a diiferent number of characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs on the gear-wheel to which said disk is attached, of ashaekle provided with means at its rear or pivotal end for operating said disks, substantially as described.

at. In a padlock, the combination, with a series of permutating gear-operated indicating-disks, each disk being provided with a diiferent number of characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the nu mberof cogs on the gear-wheel to which said disk is attached, of a shackle provided with a pawl at its rear or pivoted end for engaging one of said gear-operated disks and imparting motion thcrethrough to the other disks, substantially as described.

5. In a padlock, the combination, with a series of gear-wheels and indicating-disks upon their faces, each disk being provided with a different numberof characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs 011 the gear-wheel to which said disk is attached, of the shackle having the recess 37 in its rear or pivoted end, the pawl 38, pivoted in said recess and engaging one of said gear-wheels, and the spring 39, bearing against said pawl, substantially as described.

6. In a padlock, thecombination of a casing, a series of gear-wheels, a series of indicatingdisks arranged upon their faces and provided with p romiscuously-arranged characters, each disk being provided with a different number of characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs on the gear-wheel to which said disk is attached, and a shackle provided with means for engaging and operating said wheels and disks, substantially as described.

7 i In apadlock, the combination of acasing, a series of gear-wheels, each having a different number of cogs from the others, a series of indicatingdisks having letters or figures arranged promiscuously thereon, and a shackle provided with means for engaging one of said wheels and for moving the same and said disks when tilted back or unfastened, substantially as described.

8, In a padlock, the combination of acasing having one or more openings, a series of gearwheels, a series of indicating-disks having thereon promiscuously-arranged characters which show through said opening or openings, each disk being provided with a different number of characters, and the number of IIO characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs on the gear-wheel to which said disk is attached, and a shackle provided with means for engaging and revolving said wheels and disks when tilted back or unfastened, substantially as described.

9. In a padlock, the combination of a casing having one or more openings, a series of gearwheels, each having an unequal number of cogs from the others, a series of disks having thereon proiniscuously -arranged characters which show through said opening or openings, each disk being provided with a different number of characters, and the number of characters thereon corresponding to the number of cogs on the gear-wheel to'which said disk is attached, and a shackle provided with means for engaging and revolving said wheels and disks when tilted back or unfastened, substantially as described.

10. In a padlock, the combination of the easing having the slots or openings 3 in its faceplate, the series of gear-wheels 40, 43, ii, 45, and 46, the overlapping indicating-disks 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52, provided with promiscuously-arranged letters or figures, the stoppawls 41 and 53, and the shackle 2, having the spring-pawl 38 upon its rear or pivoted end, substantially as described.

11. In a padlock, the combination of a sliding bolt having a wide flange or shoulder on its rear end, a follower arranged and sliding below said bolt and having a notch in its side, with a key having a cam with a notch in its forward edge for enabling said cam to enter the notch of said follower and bringits front edge to bear against said flange or shoulder on the bolt, substantially as described.

12. In a padlock, the combination of a-sliding bolt having a wide flange or shoulder on its rear end, a spring bearing against the same, a follower arranged and sliding below said bolt, parallel therewith, and form ed with a notch in its side, a spring bearing against the rear end of said follower, and a key provided with a cam having a notched portion which is adapted to enter said notch in the follower, substantially as described.

13. In a padlock, the combination of a easing, a vertical stop-plate, a bolt sliding between said stop-plate and the back plate of said casing and formed with a wide flange or shoulder, a follower sliding below said bolt and also beneath said stop-plate and having a notch in its side, and a key having a cam pivoted to tilt upward and formed with a notched portion which is adapted to enter said notch in the follower, substantially as described.

14. In a padlock, the combination of a casing having a cylindrical key-passage, a vertical stop-plate secured to the top of said casing at a right angle to said key-passage and at a distance from the inner end of the same,

a bolt sliding between the back plate of said casing and the rear edge of said stop-plate and formed with a wide flange or shoulder which bears against the rear face of said stopplate, and with a vertical shoulder having a face which is flush with its forward end or head, a spring bearing against the rear end of said bolt, a follower sliding below said bolt and formed with a notch in its side and with a shoulder at its front end, a spring bearing against the rear end of said follower, and a key having a cam which is pivoted to tilt upward and formed with a rounded forward end and with a notched portion adapted to enter said notch in the sliding follower substantially as described.

15. In a padlock, the combination of a casing having the key-passage 25, the shackle 2, having the notch 5, the-stop-plate 13, the bolt 9, having the beveled head 11, the reduced or thin portion 10, the wall let, the inclined wall 15, and the wide flange or shoulder 12, the spring 16, the sliding follower 17, having the notch 19 and shoulder 20, the spring 22, and the key 26, having the pivoted earn 28, formed with the rounded front end 32 and the notch 31, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. BARR.

Witnesses:

HARRY S. ROHRER, SCHUYLER DURYEE. 

